KH 2: In Light He Shines
by Sapphiria
Summary: New worlds need help and Sora, Donald and Goofy are back in action with the mysterious Organisation XIII watching their every move. However, there is one extra joining them this time, an anomaly in the works. With a quest to find Riku and King Mickey, their skills will be tested to the limit as they learn the true power of a heart made of pure light.
1. Disney TownYen Sid's Tower

**Hello there!**

 **So I was inspired by multiple people to make this one, including** **Egyptprncssxox with her "Prince of Light" Au series,** **mainly because I haven't seen many Pokemon/Kingdom Hearts Crossovers where Ash doesn't have a Keyblade. In fact I have never seen Ash without one of the Keyblades except one uncompleted story where he was just travelling with the gang one time and that story never got finished. So, in my one, he doesn't. But... something else happens instead.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Light. One word that means many different things for different people. Some bask in the light, frightened by the thought of darkness. Others detest it, choosing to walk the path of darkness whilst some are balanced and tranquil. In anyone's heart, there is always light and darkness. People can fall into the darkness, let it control them, take them over but there are rarely people born with a heart of pure light. There are only eight known records amongst the worlds. Seven of them were accepted, one wasn't. It took a journey to change all of that.

And this is where it began.

When the hustle and bustle of Disney Castle pent up aggressive feelings inside of him, King Mickey Mouse liked to take a long walk into the town late at night so he could just be by himself with the calming sense of freedom. Being a king was stressful enough but, being a king and a Keyblade wielder made things ten times worse. The warm, yellow, glowing lights of the lampposts gave a reassuring wave to the king as he walked closer to the centre of Disney Town, which would be a mirage of colour from the hanging rainbow coloured lights.

As he reached the centre, his eyes latched onto an anomaly in the usually tidy and well preserved area. The grass covered roundabout like spherical area and its flowers looked damaged, most likely from the figure that was laying down there. Mickey sighed gently and rolled his eyes, luckily magic could fix the flowers but the gardener must have fallen asleep whilst he was working. No matter how many times he told the hard worker, the gardener would never take a break and work himself the bone daily to keep Disney Town neat and clean.

"Hey, Derick old pal, you're…" Mickey stopped speaking as he neared the area. It wasn't the gardener passed out there but a young child of about four years old. There seemed to be no injuries, but that wasn't to say there weren't any. The king ran over, pulling the child into his arms to assess the damage. He felt for lumps underneath the dark black hair, managed to open one eye – which revealed an amber orb underneath – for bloodshot colouring and, with some difficulty, lifted the child onto his back to get him back to the castle for medical treatment. "Don't worry about a thing pal, I'm gonna keep you safe." The child seemed to snuggle into his hold after hearing that.

It didn't take Mickey long to run back to the castle, shouting as soon as he entered to alert everyone as he rushed to one of the spare rooms. Just after he had finished laying the child down on the bed, his wife Minnie, best friends Donald and Goofy, Daisy and a bunch of guards rushed in.

"Mickey, what's wrong?" Minnie asked worriedly, only to gasp in horror as her eyes fell on the child.

"Gawrsh, is he okay?" Donald slapped Goofy on the head for his incompetence.

"No, he's unconscious, how does that make him okay?!"

"Guys! Stop it," Mickey got in between his bickering friends and looked at them sternly. "I need you two to go and get Master Yen Sid. You know how to use the Gummi ship, right?"

"Of course!"

"Great! Now please hurry!" Donald and Goofy rushed out immediately, the guards following slowly at the lack of any possible danger, only after Minnie had dismissed them. "Daisy, can you get a cold, damp flannel… I think he's getting a fever."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Daisy curtsied and hurried out as well, leaving only the queen and king behind. They looked worryingly at the child, who didn't look as if he belonged on this world, especially since Disney Town was full of anthropomorphic animals. Just what had happened to his home world? Had it fallen into the darkness?

They, including Daisy who had returned with the flannel and placed it on the boy's head, sat waiting for Donald and Goofy to return with Yen Sid, the most powerful sorcerer in all of the worlds and the Keyblade Master Mickey was an apprentice to for many years. However, since he was a sorcerer than meant the master could appear in the guest room at whim if he wanted to, which is exactly what he did.

"Master Yen Sid!" Mickey looked around, noting Donald and Goofy's absence; they must have been taking the Gummi Ship back. "We need your help!"

"I understand the situation Mickey," Yen Sid strode over to the bedside, resting a hand atop the child's flannel covered forehead. "Hmm… I see, most interesting…"

"What is it?" Minnie inquired politely, tipping her head to the side in confusion.

"It seems the child has next to no memories," the sorcerer answered honestly, looking back emotionlessly to the three members of the castle. "All I obtained was his name and age. However, that was not the most worrying part about it. It seems your new guest has a gift."

"A gift? Master, does that mean he has a unique power of some sorts?" Mickey joined in with the questioning, wanting to know if this gift could have anything to do with why the child was unconscious in the centre of Disney Town.

"You could say that Mickey," Master Yen Sid slowly made his way to the window opposite the bed, staring out of it with his hands held behind his back. "You see, that child has a heart of pure light, no darkness to be found anywhere."

"WHAT?!" Donald and Goofy had returned by now, the two were the first to react to the shock announcement.

"You have got to be kidding me." Daisy groaned whilst rubbing her head due to the noise of her overly loud boyfriend.

"I do not kid," Yen Sid replied to her words with a serious tone, thus further proving his point. "It is dangerous to leave him without a safe place of residence so he can work on his powers…" his voice trailed off as he began stroking his magnificent beard. "I would like to raise him under my care, to keep him safe from the forces of darkness." To be honest, Master Yen Sid wasn't good with children and, as such, would be the worst possible person to raise an amnesic child, especially one who had been separated from his world.

"With all honest, Master Yen Sid," Mickey spoke up, interrupting his thought process. "I believe it would be better for Minnie and I to raise him. He's in a fragile state and maybe some warmth and love in the first few months would help when setting up for the future…" In other words, the king was telling him that they wanted to raise the kid because they were able to feel love. Neither of them knew if Master Yen Sid had the ability to fully love anything, or even show affection, he was either pleased; emotionless or disappointed.

"Yeah, and Donald could help with magic trainin', hyuck!" Goofy interjected, grinning like the goofball he was.

"Yeah!"

"If that is your wish, so be it…" Master Yen Sid nodded, respecting their wishes and leaving the child in their care. "Before I go, I will tell you all I know from the child's memories. He is three years old and his name is Ash. Once he is five I would like to see him for his first magic lesson and no sooner or later." He raised his arms and spoke once more. "I hope to hear from you about his condition soon." With that, the sorcerer disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Sometimes I wonder how he does that," Mickey commented until a quiet groan beside him caught his attention. The boy was waking up, staring at the king and queen with fever ladened eyes. "Hey there sport, how are ya feeling?"

"Wh-w-where am I?" He asked through heavy breaths, the fever obviously affecting him to a point where he was close to not being able to speak. "W-who are you?"

"My name is Mickey, but you can just call me Uncle, pal." Mickey gave Minnie a confident look, one of which she returned "And this is Minnie, or Aunt, and we're gonna take care of you from now on."

~0~o~0~

 _Ten years later_

Surrounded by darkness, something he wasn't used to at all. He had no clue where he was, but for a fact he knew that it was defiantly not his heart. His was light, glowed whites and golds. It did take a while to get used to when one decided to dive into it for some secret power training. Under his feet was the same stained glass floor that he was used to. Images of himself, his aunt and uncle, along with everyone he held dear were painted on it. At least that was the only usual thing about it. He turned around on his toes, trying to get a better look around, but still there was nothing but darkness.

 _So much to do, but so little time… Your Highness, are you ready…?_

The voice surprised him, made him jump. Who was it? They sounded very feminine… not to mention creepy and mysterious.

"Who are you? How do you know me?" He asked, trying to remain calm.

 _I am a part of your heart… there is no need to worry… the dark background is only here because the light would be too bright otherwise…_

"Too… bright?"

 _Yes… you still don't know how truly powerful you are…? That's… unexpected... however… we have no time to waste… you will wake from your slumber soon…_

Suddenly, a ball of light drifted from the sky. He looked up to see, encased inside the light, was a necklace made of a silver chain with a sapphire gem encased in a silver charm, all of which was in the shape of a heart. He held out his hand to catch it, brain racking to find an answer for it.

 _Please… put it on…_

To be honest, he didn't want to take instructions from someone he didn't know but, it just felt right. With a quick motion, the chain went over his neck and was clasped behind it, the charm was warm against his skin.

 _It has special powers… powers that work only with you… try and summon a weapon…_

The voice was crazy, he decided. The closest thing he had ever got to a weapon was one of Donald's old staffs of which he 'borrowed' for a while whilst training his magic abilities. Still, he followed the instructions, closed his eyes and concentrated whilst holding out his arm. It felt stupid, until he heard a noise and felt something forming between his fingers. He opened his eyes to see a polished wooden staff with a blue ribbon wrapped around the area in which he was holding it, a key charm similar to his new necklace attached to it also. Subconsciously, his free hand went to touch the necklace, which had vanished.

 _I told you so… That is Hikari's Dawn… a very special kind of magical staff… treat it well…_

Hikari's Dawn, or Light's Dawn. The name suited it and him well.

"I will." He breathed in wonder, marvelling at it.

 _You will work out how to use it… stay sharp young prince… a new journey is about to begin…_

And with that, the darkness faded to light as the floor broke and he felt himself scream as he fell down into a white abyss.

Warm, auburn eyes opened wide in shock as he flung himself forwards into a sitting position in his bed, sweat dripping off his face. His thoughts turning back to the dream. Was any of that real? His hand went to touch his chest, only for his fingers to touch something hard and cold, the necklace. So it wasn't a dream after all. Then, what was it all about? What did the voice mean by a journey? A knock at his door brought him out of his thoughts.

"Ash? Are you awake?" A smile formed on his face. Aunt Minnie, his adoptive mother, was the queen of the world they lived on, very kind and caring.

"Yes! Come in!" He replied, yawning and rubbing his eyes. His bedroom door opened as Queen Minnie, looking much like she did nine years ago, entered.

"Good morning. I trust you slept well?" Ash sighed and looked up at the ceiling which was white with intricate patterns crafted into it, he knew that even with the curtains closed.

"I guess so. Except for that small dream…" Minnie rolled her eyes, her son was so read to read. Something was defiantly bothering him, and a tiny little dream wasn't exactly as small as first stated.

"Small dream?"

"Fine. It was kinda big…" The raven haired teen laughed, knowing he was busted from the get go.

"Go on then. What happened? Was it something to do with them?" She questioned, voice changing from a happy tone to a sad one when she mentioned them. Them, or they, were Donald, Goofy and King Mickey. Over a year ago, all three of them had left Disney Town. The king for reasons to do with disappearing worlds, Donald and Goofy to find the key and get them to save the worlds from darkness. No one had heard neither word nor hide of the three and the citizens of Disney Town were getting worried. None more so that Queen Minnie, Daisy and Ash.

"No, I'm sorry. But, it was about me…" The teen tried to explain, eyes falling down onto the necklace. Minnie raised an eyebrow but nodded, ready to listen.

"What was it about you? Your role here? Your heart?"

"The latter," a small smile formed on Ash's face. Queen Minnie was often good at guessing things, especially if she had known someone for a while and nine years was more than a while. "A voice told me something about a journey and working out how to use my own weapon… a staff called Hikari's Dawn." For a brief second, Minnie believed that her son might have been given a Keyblade, only for that belief to be thrown down the gutter. Magic had always been Ash's specialty, especially the Thunder and Fire moves. Her heart sank, she had a feeling where this was heading.

"A journey…" She said distantly, eyes staring into space. Deep inside, she knew this day would come only, she thought it would be a bit different. "Well, get up and dressed and come to the dining hall for breakfast. Then, I have something to give you." With that, she smiled and left, leaving Ash alone once more. His thoughts returned back to where they were before. Just what did that dream do to his destiny, his fate?

Breakfast had been devoured and now Queen Minnie, Daisy, Ash and, surprisingly, Chip and Dale (both of whom wanted to find out what all the hubbub was about) were in the Audience Chamber, Minnie seated on the golden throne in thought, Daisy looking at her worriedly.

"I'm sure that Master Yen Sid could get to the bottom of this," she said suddenly, surprising everyone. "He knows all."

"But, Your Majesty, who knows what could happen then?" Daisy interrupted with a slight panic to her tone.

"That's why it is called the future, Daisy. It's a mystery, I don't know as much as you do but, I have a feeling that this will be the last time the five of us are together for a while." Minnie explained, sadness radiating off of her being in waves. Silence reigned over the group for a while until the flames of determination began burning in a certain boy's eyes.

"I think… I think I know why I had that dream now." He said, surprising everyone with his sudden words.

"What do you mean by that, Ash?" Chip asked curiously.

"Yeah. We've got no clue what you're talking about." Dale added, arms folded like usual.

"The journey it meant. I think, I think it wants me to go and find them and bring them back. Reunite everyone, restore the balance of Disney Town. I mean, why else would a voice claiming to be a part of my heart give me a magic staff if I wasn't going to be heading out somewhere unknown to me!" A smile formed on Minnie's face as she nodded in agreement.

"As much as it pains me to let you go, I believe in that too. Just promise me you will be careful." She said with a mothering instinct she had grown for the boy for the past near decade.

"I promise I will bring them back Aunt Minnie." The soft smile turned into one of pure joy and happiness. "I'll find them and everything will return back to normal!"

"Maybe you'll find out something about who you truly are," Minnie added softly. "Your world could just be a step away, out there waiting for you to return."

"Maybe…" Her son's spaced out face told her everything. Minnie knew that his lack of memories of his real home really bugged Ash greatly, so much so he sometimes spent countless nights in the library studying the multiple worlds of light to see if any of them felt familiar in a way.

"The universe is a massive place where anything can happen, as long as you are up for the challenge." Minnie closed her eyes and smiled. "Now, go and get changed. Chip, Dale… you two ready the Gummi ship for Master Yen Sid's tower. We will convene at the Launchpad."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Yes, Aunt Minnie!"

~0~o~0~

An hour later and everything was ready to go. Chip and Dale had finished with any repairs and touch ups along with coordinating the route whilst Ash had changed out of his usual outfit of a light t-shirt and trousers into what he had been given.

He wore a black t-shirt with grey sleeves and over the shirt, he wore a deep blue, high collared jacket which finished at the middle of his back. The jacket had white strips on the sleeves and at the sides, with a white circle on the front. A brown cotton belt like item held a bag like space where items could be held, the bag itself resting towards the back of his right hip. He wore bell bottom greyish blue shorts which ended at his knees, black lines creating a pattern of an oval and a band that had joined decorated it. His shoes were white high tops with blue soles and two red straps over the top along with two red semicircles that showed at the sides on the heel. The gloves he wore were black and fingerless with thick red bands that had a sliver crown emblem on the front. His necklace hung from around his neck.

When the other four first saw him, they had mixed reactions, all good. Chip began clapping whilst Dale let out a cheeky wolf whistle, earning a solid red blush from Ash. Daisy grinned whilst Minnie was brought to tears of joy. She stepped forwards, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You look like quite the young man. So full of energy," she said between quiet sobs. "Please promise me you will be safe."

"I'll do my best Aunt Minnie," he smiled softly, kneeling down and hugging her. "Just keep safe yourself." The two let go of their embrace, the prince turning to face Daisy. "Please make sure that…"

"That Minnie stays alright?" She asked, rolling her eyes. "Of course, Ash. It's like you've become the mother now." Chip and Dale laughed at the young teen's pout, making him look younger than he was. They jumped up onto his shoulders, both jokingly bowing.

"Your ride awaits, Your Highness." The two said in unison.

"Thank you ever so much, gentlemen," Ash joked back, laughing as he did so. "Goodbye Aunt Minnie, goodbye Daisy! I'll be back before you know it with the others!" The three entered the Gummi Ship and it took off, heading for Master Yen Sid's tower. Minnie remained standing there, for a while, before turning to head back inside the main castle. She felt proud, very proud. Somehow, she knew that she had kept him three years longer than normal, in a weird way.

~0~o~0~

Master Yen Sid was a rather severe-looking old man to most who met him but he also liked surprises, in context. Seeing Donald and Goofy again, along with the key that connects all, a sixteen year old Keyblade wielder named Sora, was quite the nice surprise indeed, but he didn't expect this one. There was a knock on his door, bringing him out of his thoughts. The three from earlier were in the side room with the three fairies, so he would have known if the sound had come from that direction.

"Come in." He said, replying to the knock, only to be surprised once again. A familiar face of warm auburn eyes and spiked, out of control, raven hair, wearing non-familiar clothes entered with two familiar chipmunks.

"Master Yen Sid." The teen said with a bow of respect.

"Prince Ash. It has been a while. For what honour do I owe a visit from the prince of Disney Town?" Yen Sid questioned, showing respect for the boy with the pure heart of light.

"I… I had a dream recently. One to do with… my abilities and about a journey." Ash explained. He always had felt nervous around Master Yen Sid, but he knew that he could trust the man, he was his uncle's teacher, after all.

"To do with your heart?"

"Yes. Apparently, it's strong enough to create its own magic staff, one called Hikari's Dawn. Aunt Minnie said I needed to see you about it." Yen Sid nodded, already deep in thought. Never before had a heart forged its own weapon, but never before had there been anyone with a pure heart of light except the princesses of heart. Ash was an exception to every rule in the book, well at least when looking at the situation from an outsider's point of view. Master Yen Sid knew better than that.

"I see. But, something tells me that this isn't the end of your tale. Correct, your highness?" he asked the teen who nodded in response.

"Right again, Master Yen Sid. I… I…" The door to the side room suddenly burst open as a loud booming voice spoke out.

"Master Yen Sid, we're done with the fittin', a-hyuck!" The two humans turned around only for a collection of gasps to round from five of the seven beings there. From the side room came three people.

One of them was an older teenager with spiky caramel brown hair, blue eyes, tanned skin and a lanky build. His hoodie was coloured black, with silver pauldron-like additions to his sleeves and a white lining. His undershirt was a navy blue with a red patch in the centre. His trousers were coloured black on the outside and a navy blue on the inside, lined with silver-white edging. Yellow straps criss-crossed around his pants, held together with a black belt. The trousers featured red pockets with a black cross over them. His gloves were coloured black on the outside and white on the inside with a yellow line running around them. He also wore large black-yellow shoes with silver soles, a zipper running across the top, and black straps holding them together with buckles here and there. He also wore a pendant around his neck, that one was in the shape of a silver crown.

But, it wasn't the teen whom Ash was focused on, it was his companions. Just the way he remembered them before they left a year ago.

~0~o~0~

To be honest, Sora didn't expect anyone else to show up in Yen Sid's tower, let alone a boy who looked a few years younger than he did. He also didn't expect Donald and Goofy to seem to know the boy either. Silence reigned over the room for a while until the boy threw himself at the king's best friends, after the two chipmunks from his shoulder, remembered to be Chip and Dale, jumped down.

"Donald! Goofy!" He cried out, hugging the two whilst they laughed. A few moments later, the boy let go and regained his posture, a fire suddenly began burning his his eyes.

"Gawrsh, we didn't expect to see you here." Goofy grinned.

"Yeah. What are you doing here… uh oh." Donald gulped suddenly as the boy gave him a stern glare.

"No letters, no calls, no nothing. It's been a year and you two don't know how worried everyone was! Daisy's trying her hardest to keep it together whilst the queen is doing everything she can to stop the citizens from giving up on you two and the king!" He took a deep breath. "So, explain yourselves. Where were you two for the past year after Donald received that letter from the king talking about finding the 'Key'?" The two being put under interrogation began stuttering and mumbling, not coming out with a straight answer. That was when Sora decided to step in.

"They were with me." He said, cerulean eyes meeting auburn orbs of fire.

"… And you are?" The boy asked, the glare gone from his face, leaving only confusion.

"Sora. I'm a Keyblade wielder." Sora explained his situation, smiling whilst placing his hands on the back of his head. The boy's eyes widened, obviously he had heard about Keyblades before.

"Just like _them_ … wow…" He muttered, still staring at Sora before grinning with his teeth showing. "Sorry about that, someone needs to keep those two in check." Donald and Goofy groaned at the statement, causing the two boys to begin laughing.

"Yeah, I've been doing an okay job at it so far." Sora chuckled.

"HEY!" The two friends of the king of Disney Town protested, only for more laughter to rise up, especially from Chip and Dale, who had immobilised themselves laughing. The boy held out a hand for Sora to shake.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sora. My name's Ash. I live in Disney Town, so I kinda know these two well."

"Nice to meet you too!" Sora grinned as their hands clasped together and shook. In that moment, a new bond had been created. A cough from Master Yen Sid returned their attention to the task at hand, well, two tasks at hand.

"I'm glad that the fairies did well for you Sora, but my conversation with another isn't finished. Isn't that right, Your Highness?" Sora's jaw dropped dramatically when Ash nodded.

"Sorry, Master Yen Sid. Just seeing Donald and Goofy again was a bit too much for me." The younger boy bowed in respect.

"I get that. And, I have come to realise that the search doesn't end there. There is still one more person your heart wants to find and bring back home, right?" Yen Sid questioned knowledgably.

"My uncle…" Ash muttered.

"Yes," the Master nodded. "I suggest that you do search for him, but it would be best if you went with people who could help you if a path turns out to be wrong." He looked over to Donald, Sora and Goofy. "I hope you three are alright with having a fourth member to your party."

"Gawrsh, it would be an honour, Master Yen Sid. Right, Donald?" Goofy grinned, making a thumbs up signal to the younger boy.

"Yeah! Sora, what do you say?" Sora was still frozen in shock from the earlier revelation.

"A prince… he's a prince…" He mumbled, not comprehending how King Mickey and Queen Minnie, from what he had been told from Donald and Goofy about her, could have a human child for a prince! It was impossible, it was absurd! It was…

"I'm adopted."

Oh, well that explained things. Sora pulled himself out of his frozen state and grinned.

"Yeah, sure! It'll be great!"

"In that case," Chip spoke up, gaining full attention. "We'll head back to Disney Castle and tell Queen Minnie the good news! Good luck Ash!"

"Yeah!" Dale nodded in agreement. "Good luck guys, you're gonna need it!" With that, they ran out of the room and downstairs to the exit of the tower.

"That settles things! We're all going together!" Donald said

"This'll be fun," Goofy added with a chuckle. He turned to Ash with the same constant smile he always seemed to have on his face. "So, how has your magic trainin' been? Got any better?" A hand clasped around his necklace as the younger teen just grinned.

"Oh… you'll see." He said with a teasing tone, making Donald huff.

"Aww, come on!" That was when Chip and Dale reappeared, comically shutting the door and bordering it up with planks and nails.

"What's up with you two?" Sora asked; feeling very confused at that moment in time.

"Heartless… Heartless downstairs…!" Chip panted, leaning against the wall for support.

"And… loads… of them… too!" Dale gasped for breath. With a confirming nod, Sora, Donald and Goofy rushed out of the room, after Sora had broken the door down with his own Keyblade.

"I'll pay for that!" He yelled as his voice echoed up the stairway. Chip and Dale fainted in shock whilst Ash almost lost his jaw to the floor.

"He's an interesting one…" He mumbled.

"Quite," Master Yen Sid agreed. "However, why not try out your own abilities, Your Highness? Prove yourself to the others." A small smile formed on Ash's face.

"Yeah. I'll need to do it at some point anyway"

~0~o~0~

Sora decided, after beating this round of Heartless, that he needed to visit the nearest gym and get back in shape. His movements still felt unnaturally sluggish, painfully slow. Donald and Goofy were near enough down and out, both of them probably going through the same inner torment that he was. It seemed like the last of them had been cleared with one last swish of his blade, he didn't even notice the one creeping up behind him.

"SORA!" He heard a cry of his name, a whoosh from behind him and the sight of darkness flooded his eyes. This time, there was no King Mickey to save him.

Or was there?

A blue clad figure dashed forwards, hand glowing as a staff formed which they used to cut the Heartless into halves.

"Donald?"

"Since when did I sound like a dying cat?" It was only then that Sora realised who his saviour was. You know what they say, like father like son. All three others gawked at the younger teen, who was twirling around a magic staff idly, not looking amused one bit.

"And you three say you've travelled around the worlds and defeated Maleficent?" Ash teased jokingly. "I've seen old coots back in Disney Town with more stamina than all of you combined." The prince turned to the Heartless with a huge smirk plastered upon his face. Without warning, he rushed forwards, a white light emanating off of the staff which caused the Heartless to flinch or, in some cases, try to run away. A mutter made the light turn into a powerful 'Fire' spell which burnt all of the Heartless to dust.

Now, Sora wasn't expecting that one bit. Obviously, the adopted child of King Mickey would have some training to be able to defend himself but being able to kick Heartless ass like it was nothing… that was awesome. He didn't even notice the hand waiting to help pull him up until a little cough brought him out of his thoughts.

"Thanks." Sora grinned apologetically, taking the hand and using it to pull himself up. Donald and Goofy made their way over with huge, proud smiles on their faces.

"Gawrsh, Ash. Since when where you that powerful?" Goofy asked, clearly impressed by the younger teen's feet of power.

"Training, and lots of it," the prince turned to Sora and chuckled. "There are a few things you need to know about me before we set off, by the way."

"What are they?"

"One, my heart has no darkness in it and I'm the only guy like that, Master Yen Sid says the proper title is 'the Prince of Heart' but I digress. Secondly, I'm amnesic meaning I have no memories of before Uncle Mickey found me in Disney Town so I don't remember my birth parents or original world and finally…" Ash took a small breath before placing his hands on his hips with a grin on his face. "I can sense darkness which is useful against small groups of heartless but not so great in a world which is majoritively aligned with the darkness. When I'm overloaded, I kinda change personality and want to burn things, no idea why though."

Whilst Donald and Goofy already knew this information, Sora didn't and had to take a moment to soak all of the factual knowledge about the younger teen in. Kairi, one of his two best friends from Destiny Islands, turned out to be one of the seven Princesses of Heart, something that came as a shock. Her case was more widely accepted but he couldn't help but notice similarities between the the two. Both had pure light hearts and they both lost their memories after ending up in different worlds due to an event. In a way, it was creepily ironic that his new friend would be like the one of the ones he had left behind after the original Kingdom Hearts incident, right before Castle Oblivion and the horrors of Organisation XIII and the memory remaking.

"Okay," was all he said after a while, taking everything into account before choosing how to respond. "I think I get it." Suddenly, he remembered what had been left behind at the top of the tower. "Master Yen Sid! We left him alone with more heartless around! Come on!"

No one bothered to correct him that Yen Sid was a strong magician in his own right. He was more than likely to be able to defend himself, in other words. However, just because Sora was already leaps and bounds ahead of them, the others rushed after him as they went back up to the Master's room.

Not only was he alright as no heartless had managed to push past the group, apparently Master Yen Sid had one more gift for the now quartet, a brand new Gummi Ship. Donald immediately began hogging the steering controls whilst the others watched him after they had immediately entered the ship with the chipmunks offering support from their communication tower, not before everyone had the chance to thank Yen Sid for his generosity.

"Has he always been like this with those things?" Ash asked, normally used to going on a ship with Chip and Dale, both of whom had kindly taught him how to operate the thing.

"You haven't seen the start of it," Sora chuckled, placing his hands behind his head. "Halfway through the trip, start expecting him to mumble jumbo about the ship, confessing his undying love for it." The prince began laughing uncontrollably, getting weird looks from both Donald and Goofy.

"Daisy's gonna be mad when we visit home. She doesn't know that her boyfriend is cheating on her with a machine!" He managed to say between snorts. That took the biscuit. Soon enough, both of the teenaged boys were rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.

"I don't know whether I should be scared, or terrified." Goofy chuckled, just kind of glad the two were getting on so well.

"Then be both!" Donald snapped back with a roll of the eyes as he continued to drive the ship onto the first world.

~0~o~0~

Meanwhile, three certain fairies watched in horror as a crooked, smirking raven dragged a familiar black cloak through the open window. They trembled as the cloak began moving, all of them fleeing from the room, the blue dressed one crying out one word, a name, before vanishing. A woman began rising from the cloak. Fair and green-skinned, her shining, yellow eyes were heavily shadowed with violet make-up, and her lips were painted red. Her head was topped with a black-horned headdress. She wore a long, tattered black robe with purple trim and maroon edges which flared out. She carried a staff with a glowing green orb at the tip. With a triumphant grin, she studied the room chuckling for mere seconds. The chuckles turned into a full blown evil laughs of pure madness, terrifying to those who heard it. This meant only one thing.

Maleficent was back.

* * *

 **So, there you go. I've already written Chapter 2 and planned all worlds, and most of the series as a whole to be honest. I can promise that some of the worlds have changed and some new, non-Disney worlds have been added to the mix. (Altlantica I'm looking at you, stupid mini game world.)**

 **Once again, thanks for reading!**


	2. Hollow Bastion

**Okay, I guess to some I didn't make myself entirely clear to some people but Ash is adopted as his world is currently somewhere in the darkness and so are his real parents, not that he remembers them anyway. (No, Sora didn't release it in KH 1, there is a special place for this world which is a huge part of future plot lines, more specific the sequel but let's not get ahead of ourselves here.)**

 **To Aoi Hyoudou... I can't believe you reviewed my work and liked it! I've loved your KH crossover series. You are wrong about Sir Aaron but this AU's Pokemon world is slightly different from its normal interpretation. Oh and with the new worlds, I am adding two non Square/Disney worlds in but I am changing the second visit to some of the canon worlds. The events of Aladdin 3 will play in the second visit to Agrabah, Atlantica is going to be totally changed with actual heartless, but some singing will be involved and the second Pirates of the Caribbean Movie will be the second visit to Port Royal's plot. Stuff like that. Also, Chapter 2 is soon, right now actually, but chapter three will be a while yet. Only 1000 or so words in at the group have only just introduced themselves.**

 **Anyway, if anyone is in the shipping business and would like to name the Donald Duck X Gummi Ship shipping from the last chapter then I am up for ideas, unless it already exists in that case please tell me, I'd love to know.**

* * *

The flight to Hallow Bastion, the only world on the map as of current of Master Yen Sid's gifted Gummi Ship, was quite uneventful. Sora complained about that slightly, whilst Donald complained about Sora's complaining. Goofy, however, decided to use the time wisely to tell Ash about their original adventures.

"Wow," the raven haired boy mumbled, gazing out of the Gummi ship's window, a small smile forming on his face. "You guys have been through a lot. I feel like I'm intruding…"

"Gawrsh, Ash. Don't think that at all!" Goofy said in shock. "We've known you longer than we have Sora."

"But the friendship between you three is so special. The ties between your hearts are so strong, they could stand though anything," the teen sighed loudly before resting his head on his left hand. "I wish I could have a friendship like that."

"What about the people from Disney Town?" Sora asked curiously, obviously having finished complaining.

"Ever since I turned five, the way I was treated by the townspeople changed because my uncle named me the Prince of Disney Town. They would treat me with respect, nothing like they did when I was four. It was so fun back then…" Ash shook his head and gave the others a doubtful look. "I guess, I was going to believe that you three would act the same when I joined your group. I mean, Donald and Goofy were the only exceptions but it has been a while..." He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see a grinning Sora.

"We're friends. You're gonna have to get used to that over this journey."

"Yeah!" Donald quacked from the driver's seat, not turning his head and keeping full attention on the space ahead.

"Count on it!" Goofy added, also grinning madly.

"You guys…" Ash felt tears prick his eyes, which he managed to blink away. Instantly he could tell that the bonds between their hearts had strengthened. A smile, a proper one, formed on his face as he stood up and jumped on the back of the driver's seat, causing Donald to jump. "So, Captain? Where we be off to?" Ignoring the sniggers from Sora and Goofy, Donald looked at the map and smiled.

"Hollow Bastion."

~0~o~0~

It was immediately known to Ash that the others had been to Hollow Bastion before, so the world they remembered was very much different from the one they were on now, but to him it was a whole new experience. Hollow Bastion was very different from the colourful Disney Town he had been raised in and the clean tidiness that was Master Yen Sid's Tower. The world was a bundle of stone walls, houses with broken roofs; peeling paint and wooden boards plastered everywhere and building materials. Obviously it was a 'work in progress'. The main focal point of the world was a huge limestone pillared structure covered in metallic construction machines. He had never seen anything like it before, and no book could bring out the true emotions one would feel when entering a new location. Goofy's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Uh-oh. Looks like we're gonna have to do some fightin'." It took a second to realise why. Up on a roof nearby, he felt a dim, lingering feeling of darkness.

"Well, why don't we look around the place?" Sora suggested. "Knowing our luck, we might just run into some Heartless along the way."

"Our? Are you thinking that I have the same unlucky lucky qualities as you guys?" Ash questioned teasingly.

"You have a heart full of light, course you do!" Donald snorted as he headed down the stone stairs to the market area.

"He has a point there." Goofy chuckled, following after.

"What has my heart gotta do with anything?!" The younger teen pouted, running after the duck and dog.

"EVERYTHING!" Donald yelled back. Sora put his hands behind his head and chuckled. This adventure may be even more spectacular than the last one, and that one was awesome… minus the whole becoming a Heartless part.

~0~o~0~

The two humans had only realised that the others had stopped walking when they saw a figure ahead, one that was causing Donald to look very surprised. The figure was an anthropomorphised duck with white plumage, four-fingered hands, light blue eyes, yellow-orange feet, and a bill of the same colour. He had a thick, half-ring of ruffled feathers going around the back of his head, creating the image of an old, balding man. He wore a blue jacket with a folded-down, red collar, red cuffs, and a yellow button near the neck. He kept the jacket shut with a red belt. A black top hat with a red band near the brim sat on his head, and he wore pince-nez glasses along with red spats on his feet. He was also holding a brown cane with a gold tip.

"Uncle Scrooge?!" Donald yelled, causing Sora to frown in confusion.

"Err… who?" He asked, looking towards the other two members of the group. Ash just shrugged his shoulders whilst Goofy smiled in knowledge.

"He's Donald's uncle… a business typhoon!" He explained. "Before the Heartless showed up, he travelled the worlds on a Gummi Ship with the King! He was helpin' to set up a traffic system." Donald yelled "A transit system!" causing Goofy to smile apologetically to the younger duck.

"I had no idea that my uncle travelled with a friend," Ash muttered, folding his arms over his chest in thought. "He never told me that."

"What's with all that racket?" Scrooge asked, turning around properly to face the group, only for his face to light up dramatically. "Why, if it isn't Donald! And Goofy, hello lads! Aye, you all look hale and hearty. So, who are the two young'uns that are standing behind you?"

"That's Sora, and that's Ash." Donald introduced, pointing to each boy in turn.

"Ash? As in Mickey's adopted kid? I've always wanted to meet you!" Scrooge seemed to forget all about personal space, getting right in front of the thirteen year old.

"Well… umm… It's very nice to meet you too, Mr Scrooge." Ash said politely, nervously stuttering at the sudden lack of personal space.

"No need for formalities lad, It's just Scrooge."

"So, Uncle Scrooge, what are you up to?" Donald's question caused a face of joy to turn sour.

"Trying to recreate the flavour of my all-time favourite ice cream. But I canna do it! I'd make million's if I got it right!" He licked the ice cream in his hand, pulling a face after a few licks. "Terrible!" With that, he wondered off somewhere with the ice cream lolly still in hand, mumbling about maybe adding to much salt to sugar, or something along those lines. He also mentioned something about someone named Leon who was in Merlin's house with a group of other people. This piqued Sora, Donald and Goofy's interests. They rushed on down another set of stairs.

"Hey, guys! Wait for me!" Ash yelled, running after the trio, wondering why they were in such a hurry all of the time in this world. By the time Ash had caught up with the others, they had stopped, confused by a bunch of white circular flashes and scans.

"Hey! What's going on?" Donald asked in shock, not aiming the question at anyone, however someone answered.

"That's the town's defence mechanism!" The voice sounded energetic and feminine. Sora, Donald and Goofy began looking around frantically whilst Ash just looked up at the roof of the house next to them. Standing upon it, was a female. She had short, black hair, her eyes were a deep dark shade of violet. Through her hair, one could see a regular black headband with white lining. She wore an unzipped, dark grey combat vest with a black strap dangling from the right pocket overtop a navy blue tank top with white floral designs. She wore a white wristband on her right wrist and a grey, fingerless glove on her left arm. Her shorts were slightly darker and had another black strap dangling from the left side. She also wore black, knee-high socks with white stripes at the top underneath dark tan boots that were slightly shorter than her socks.

"Yuffie!" Sora grinned as he finally saw the female, obviously knowing her from somewhere before. She saluted the group, eyes closed in happiness. Yuffie's smile suddenly vanished and she opened her eyes wide in shock.

"Look out!" She yelled.

A Nobody jumped at Sora, only to narrowly avoid a Keyblade slash to the face as it swivelled backwards. It had a large, cylindrical head with a flat top that was emblazoned with the Nobody symbol. Its body seemed to be covered in a light grey jumpsuit, and its 'mouth' was actually a zipper that undid itself to reveal its actual, grey, sharp-toothed mouth underneath. It appeared to be fairly muscular, though its arms and legs were very thin. The sides of its body were lined by a black line, which pulsed weakly with light. Its feet and hands were pointed and lack digits, and its hands each sported two black bands around them.

It was a Dusk. Four more Dusks formed a circle around the four, swaying from side to side, ready to attack. However, their prey was faster and more alert. Sora cast a Fire spell whilst the others quickly formed their weapons and joined the fight. It didn't take too long to take down the Dusks, especially since they were so weak. All five were defeated in quick succession of each other. Yuffie waved happily from her place on the roof.

"Hey you guys!" She jumped down from the roof in front of them, eyes darting between them in glee until she reached the raven haired newbie. "Who's the cutie?"

"Watch your tone! He's a prince!" Donald scolded. The female ninja's eyes widened, only for her to laugh when Ash used his staff to hit Donald over the head before dispersing it back into necklace form.

"Donald, just shut up about that," he sighed. "Ignore the grumpy nut. The name's Ash, nice to meet ya!"

"Nice to meet ya too!" Yuffie chuckled, saluting for a second. "I see you're still in top form." She addressed the original trio.

"What'd you expect?" Sora grinned, bumping his fist against his chest. "Looks like you're doing okay."

"Well, what did YOU except?!" She joked back.

"How are the others?" Donald asked curiously.

"Great!" Yuffie said enthusiastically. Goofy chuckled as he caught sight of Ash's confused face. Whilst the younger male had been given an outline of the original adventure, he still didn't know the full details. Sora's happy expression suddenly turned serious.

"Hey Yuffie, have you seen the King and Riku?" He asked, piquing everyone's, minus Yuffie's interest.

"Nope!" Yuffie replied cheerily, walking towards an alleyway. Sora slumped in depression, only for Donald and Goofy to pat him on the back in reassurance. Something clenched in Ash's heart. The first maybe lead on his uncle's whereabouts was dead and cold within seconds, and Riku was someone who Sora held dearly to his heart. He felt as if he understood the brunette's pain. Yuffie stopped and turned around, putting her hands to her mouth. "But I had a feeling I'd see you guys again!" Sora straightened up and smiled before adopting a stern look and looking at his hand.

"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other."

"Is that supposed to be Leon?" Yuffie inquired with a smug grin. The Keyblade wielder rubbed a finger under his nose whilst Donald and Goofy sniggered into their hands. Ash simply rolled his eyes, smiling none the less. Even though he had no idea who this Leon guy was or was supposed to act like but, by the sounds of it, Sora had given a good impersonation of him. "Everybody's working on stuff over at Merlin's house. C'mon!" With that, she ran off presumably towards this house she mentioned.

"She couldn't mean that Merlin… could she?"

"Yes, she does Ash."

"Wait, you know Merlin?" Sora asked in shock.

"What, you're telling me you thought Donald and Master Yen Sid taught me how to use magic?" The prince chuckled, shaking his head. "The two of them were normally very busy so Merlin taught me a few things. Who knew he lived in Hallow Bastion?"

"Let's go then, can't keep Leon and the others waitin'!" Goofy said which was met by nods of agreement from the others, then they followed the path Yuffie took to a house with a gigantic wooden door.

~0~o~0~

When the gang first entered, the first thing they noticed was three people standing around a computer, one of them typing code furiously.

The first was male and was sporting long, brown hair with bangs swept to the left side of his face. He wore black gloves, black, zipper-lined shoes, a silver Griever necklace, a white undershirt and a short, black jacket which had a fur collar, bears red wings on the back and had a red Griever symbol on each shoulder. He wore three brown belts on his left forearm and had three buckles on his right thigh. His black trousers also sported a vertical zipper going down the side of each leg. He wore two brown belts and two black ones around his hips, all of which were quite loose except for one, a black one worn properly around his waist. His eyes were blue and he bore a very distinctive scar, which ran diagonally across the bridge of his nose.

The other male, the one working on the computer, wore goggles on his head and had a necklace with a rectangular charm. His short marigold hair was stilled upwards. His eyes were dark blue and he had some stubble on his chin. He had a toothpick in his mouth, which he may have chewed on from time to time. He wore a white T-shirt with two buttons descending from the neck. His baggy trousers were blue and had a very wide, orange waistband with thin, vertical stripes on it. They were worn rather high, with the waistband coming up to just under his ribcage

The last member was a female. Her eyes were a leafy green and her hair was an auburn brown colour that was long and styled into a braid down her back tied up with a dark pink ribbon, with curls on either side of her face. She wore a carmine pink and white top held up by a string that wraps around her neck. Underneath this top, she wore a pink dress with a horizontal white stripe near the bottom. She wore yet another dress underneath the first one, this dress being white and was slightly longer than the first.

Yuffie appeared out of nowhere and grinned at the four newcomers.

"Meet the Hallow Bastion Restoration Committee!" She announced loudly and proudly, obviously a member herself. The three others turned around and smiled in recognition.

"We missed you!" The female said, clapping her hands together.

"Well, if you ain't in top shape!" The blonde haired male smirked, wiping a thumb against his chin.

"I knew it." The last man stated confidently, arms folded with a slight smile of confidence evident on his face.

"Knew what?" Sora asked in confusion as Yuffie lead the group closer to the computer machine.

"A while back, everyone suddenly remembered you guys… all at the same time." He explained, tone of voice not changing one bit. Donald, Goofy and Sora looked shocked, taking a step backwards slightly.

"You… remembered…? Wait… does that mean you forgot about us?!"

"Thanks!" Donald yelled sarcastically.

"I didn't," a quiet voice piped up. Everyone turned to see the serious face that was plastered onto Ash's face. He looked up from the floor and frowned. "Well, I didn't know Sora at the time but I knew Donald and Goofy quite well. Everyone seemed to forget about them all the time, if it wasn't for a few days ago then…" Tears threatened to form at his eyes. "… I can't even think about it. Everyone thought I was insane to begin with but if it wasn't for my aunt and Daisy, I would have started to believe I was as well." Silence reigned for a while before the blondie asked a very serious question.

"Who are you kiddo?" A couple of face palms decided to play a game of see how many humans could attempt to do one in a few seconds, near enough eight of them cooperated.

"Cid, that was quite rude of you." The brown haired female frowned and scolded the older male.

"No need to be alarmed, Yuffie will come to the rescue," the said ninja beamed, referring to herself in the third person. "This is Ash, a prince!"

"YUFFIE!" Ash groaned, placing his hand to his forehead, ignoring the looks he was being given by the three in front of the computer. "Urgh… I don't want to be known by my title, just by who I am. Geez, trust Donald to open his big beak up. "

"Hey!" Merlin's house was filled with laughter whilst Donald sulked like a baby.

"So, where have you guys, devoid of spikey and royal over there, been all this time?" Yuffie asked curiously.

"We've been sleepin'." Goofy answered honestly.

"Wait… what?" the young teen's jaw widened along with shocked eyes.

"Where? In cold storage?" Cid questioned, sighing before turning to one side.

"You… were sleeping?!" Ash said, volume increasing in his voice, along with a rise of octave. "How… what… who… I'm so confused." He slid to his knees, holding his head. "You three aren't bears! I've never heard of three people sleeping for a year without food, water or piss breaks and having not woken up once!" Sora, along with Yuffie, the brown haired man and Cid, chuckled at the looks of pure horror that Donald and Goofy were giving the prince.

"Piss breaks? Where did you hear that?" Donald inquired in disbelief.

"Daisy," it was Ash's turn to chuckle. "I know you, you can't tell her off. She'll kill you if you do."

"It doesn't matter. This is great. Everyone's together again and we have a new friend," the older female said with excitement. "My name is Aerith. It's an honour to meet you."

"I'm Leon." The brown haired man added.

"So… um… we're trying to find Riku and the King. Have you seen 'em?" Sora asked, trying to hold back the hope that was rising in his heart. His answer was three sakes of the head. "Right." He mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"Sorry. But let us know if there is anything we can do to help. Okay?" Aerith said apologetically.

"Okay, thanks!" Cid suddenly stood up stomping forwards, causing Sora to step backwards in shock.

"Don't go thankin' us just yet." He scowled warningly as Leon internally sighed at Cid's actions but kept a stern look on his face.

"Hallow Bastion's got a problem. A big problem." Leon explained emotionlessly.

"You mean like those Dusk things and the Heartless." Ash guessed, arms crossed in thought.

"That's right! You're a smart cookie, aren't cha!" Yuffie grinned.

"Sounds like you could use our help!" Donald interjected, puffing his chest out proudly. Leon rolled his eyes.

"Then let's cut to the chase," surprisingly, he moved from his corner. "Sora, Donald, Goofy. We were hoping the three of you might be able to give us a hand around here."

"Like we're gonna say no?" Sora grinned teasingly, putting his hands on his hips. Leon hmph-ed and crossed his arms with a smirk.

"I forgot who I'm dealing with."

"And you don't know who you're dealing with," Ash spoke up. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Course!" Goofy nodded. "He's a strong magician!"

"Technologies' better." Cid muttered. "If only I could get into that data sample we found at the last Heartless sighting…" Ash rolled his eyes and walked up to the computer, pressing keys with razor fast speed and precision. Seconds later, a ding was heard and boxes of code formed on the screen.

"There you go, all done!" The young teen grinned innocently.

"Wow!" Yuffie yelled. "It took Cid two months to get to the stage he was at, and he's a professional at that geeky stuff. How did you do that?"

"Knowledge, even a castle has a book on computers, and oddly enough, hacking into encrypted data." Was her honest reply as seriously his uncle Mickey really did have a book on hacking into encrypted data. Why that was there, he had no idea, but read it anyway to keep amused through the lonely wet days inside the castle. Cid smirked and leant in towards Leon.

"I like the new kid. Looks like he has a lot of promise!" Leon nodded but walked silently towards the house's door and opened it.

"Follow me to the bailey… there's something you lot need to see." With that, he left, only for a puff of smoke to rise a few feet from where Leon was. The smoke disappeared to reveal an elderly man with pale skin and thin arms and legs. His nose was a bit large and his black eyes were rather small and close-set. He wore spectacles with circular lenses. He seemed to be balding and had short, white hair on the sides and back of his head. He also had bushy eyebrows, a walrus moustache, and a long, floor-length beard, all of which were white. The man dressed in a sky blue cloak that stopped just above his ankles and had large, hanging sleeves. He wore pointed slippers and a tall, floppy, conical hat, both of which were the same sky blue colour as his cloak. In his hand was a very long, featureless, brown rod with a small bump on one end.

"Oh! I thought it was you. Right on time!" The old wizard said with slight relief.

"It's Merlin!" Goofy observed as the group walked over to him. Merlin looked at them with a smile only to be shocked to see the last and youngest member of the gang.

"Your Highness! What are you doing out of Disney Town?! Does Queen Minnie know about this?!" He stopped his worrying session when Ash began laughing.

"Aunt Minnie knows Merlin. It's actually my uncle I'm looking for. It's been a long time, how are you?"

"As good as I can be, thank you." Merlin replied honestly with slight joy. Yuffie coughed, gaining the attention of the elderly wizard.

"Sora and the gang said they're gonna help out!" She announced happily.

"Splendid!" Merlin cheered, running a hand through his long beard. "We'll count on you!" With a quick resounding 'Right!' from the group, Merlin turned to Aerith. "Ah, yes. Did you give them the cards, dear?"

"Oh!" Aerith gasped, pulling out three purple cards from a pocket in one of her dresses. She handed them to Sora, Donald and Goofy. "Here… they're presents for you. Leon thought you might like to have them." The three looked at them, before finding the writing on the back.

"Hallow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member!" Sora read.

"Membership cards!" Donald said with glee.

"Kinda cool, huh?" Goofy asked the other two, gaining rather excited nods. Merlin chuckled and walked forwards, one extra card in his hand.

"Hey, Merlin. Who's that for?" Yuffie asked.

"Can't you tell?" He asked back before giving the card to a surprised Ash. "I know your strengths and can tell that your power, your true power, will help us greatly. Welcome to the committee my boy!"

"Merlin… thank you for putting your faith in me!" Ash grinned. "I promise I won't let you down." Merlin nodded before Sora cried suddenly before running out saying something about a bailey, Donald and Goofy in hot pursuit.

"Are they always like that?" Aerith asked innocently.

"Ever since we landed on Hallow Bastion, yes." The prince sighed.

"Before you go, can you give this to Sora?" Merlin asked, holding out an icy blue orb with stars protruding off of it. "It seems that he forgot all but one of his magic spells whilst he was sleeping, may you give him this Blizzard orb whilst you're at it?"

"Sure Merlin. Thank you for everything." He bowed to the remaining members of the committee and dashed out of the door, hoping that Sora hadn't got stuck in some sort of trouble along the way.

Wait, who was he kidding?

Sora was always in some kind of trouble.

~0~o~0~

When Ash caught up with the others, he saw them in a huge fight with a bunch of Heartless, Shadows and Soldiers. Without hesitation, he summoned his staff and rushed forwards, attacking back.

"Sora! Catch!" He yelled, throwing the orb towards the said male, who caught it easily with ease.

"What's this for?" Sora asked back, raising his volume to be heard over the noise.

"The baby version of this. BLIZZAGA!" A large ice shard flew from the tip of his staff and hit a Shadow that was just about to leap at Goofy.

"Just how much training have you had?"

"Less talking, more Heartless slaying." The younger said with a jokingly stern tone as he cut down a few Heartless with his staff. It didn't take long before all the Heartless were gone, leaving the quartet alone on the walls.

"I wouldn't want to be on the opposite side to yours." Sora grinned, placing his hands behind his head.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ash smiled back. "But shouldn't we be somewhere right now?"

"Yeah, guys. The bailey, to meet Leon, remember?" Goofy added with a nod.

"Oh right! Let's go!"

The group walked into the bailey, finding Leon looking out over an abandoned area. He briefly acknowledged their existence.

"Look at that." He said emotionlessly. Donald had to jump up to see over the edge but, in the end, everyone got the same view. A decrepit metallic castle like structure loomed ahead in the distance surrounded by cliffs of blue mixed with a slight purple. The castle was surrounded by a moat of black and orange that was constantly moving.

"Woah…" Sora muttered, only to be drawn out of it when he heard a pained yelp. His eyes crossed to the raven haired boy, who was shaking like mad whilst he fell to his knees. "Are you okay?!"

"Darkness…" Ash mumbled, teeth chattering furiously. "that… that place… is full of… darkness…" Leon frowned for a minute before returning his full concentration onto the structure.

"We want to restore Hallow Bastion to what it used to be. Who knows… maybe something better," he explained. "There's still a lot to do, but I'm sure we can handle everything. Except… for that." He looked downwards and pointed. "And that." Sora, Donald and Goofy watched as two dusks were slinking their way towards the structure, swaying from side to side like a dancer would.

"We'll handle them." Sora said with confidence.

"That's good to hear. I'm sure your friend might not agree to that though." Leon muttered out loud, eyes looking in a certain direction.

"No, I'm fine, really," Ash mumbled, turning away from the tower. "It just was too much for a second." Leon raised an eyebrow with a sceptical approach.

"So… Sora, do you know what's going on then?" He asked, glancing back at the metal castle far away.

"There's this guy, Pete, who's been going around plotting with the Heartless…"

"PETE?!" The two turned to see the loose jaw the was almost hitting the floor. "As in, pudgy Pete… the one that my uncle knows, Pete?"

"Yep!" Goofy chuckled. "I guess we forgot to tell you about him, a-yuck!"

"But, how did he escape the Realm of Darkness which my aunt banished him to?" Ash asked no one the question, directing it towards the heavens, which might have had a better idea. "I mean, he's too stupid to work out escape plans like that on his own. He can't even tie his own shoes without messing up the first step."

"The one's we need to worry about are the Nobodies." Sora added, trying to hide a laugh that was building up inside his mouth.

"And those Organisation XIII guys in charge, too!" Goofy said with worry. A frown formed on the prince's face and before he could ask about that Goofy was talking about, a taunting voice echoed into their heads.

"You called?" Everyone jumped, taking defensive positions whilst looking around for the source of the sound. Sora, Donald and Goofy moved from the outlook area into the main ground of the bailey, trying to cover more area to find the voice. "You're doing well…" The voice spoke again.

"Who's that?!" Sora demanded, forming his Keyblade in his hand. Donald and Goofy forming their weapons also.

"This calls for a celebration…" Nobodies began forming, appearing tauntingly in front of the trio. Donald and Goofy rushed off to take some of them on, Sora following only to notice two more dusks twirling off into the bailey past Leon.

"Come on!" He yelled to the other two humans, who followed him towards the gate, the sole object of the Nobodies' path. Ash quickly formed his staff and swung at the dusks, causing them to try and evade the weapon. All three humans formed a protective barrier between the Nobodies and the gate, making it perfectly clear who the opposition had to go through first.

~0~o~0~

"The Keyblade… a truly marvellous weapon," the voice seemingly roared through Sora's head as he ran out of the bailey, anger flashing through him as he ignored the shouts of the younger teen who was trying to catch up to him. His anger flared more as the voice continued to talk. "Were only it in more… capable hands…" A bunch of voices began laughing as he scowled.

"Show yourselves you cowards!" Sora shouted, not noticing that the others, namely Donald, Goofy and Ash, had joined him, watching as a person in a black robe formed on the roof of the building opposite them. They raised their hands and more black robed people appeared from darkness.

"Organisation XIII!" Goofy yelled in shock. So this was Organisation XIII. Without even trying, Ash could tell that these people were nobodies, heartless but still in control in a psychical form. He felt emotionlessness dripping off of the robed people, their lack of heart paining him slightly to feel. The original three of the group gave each other confirming looks.

"Good. Now we can settle this!" Sora said, determination firing up in his eyes like flames to a fire.

"What a shame…" The main robed member spoke in a masculine voice. "And here I thought we could be friends." Ash shivered as he felt a piercing glare being cast upon him. "And you've even brought a new friend to show us." All the members began laughing evilly as the darkness rose around them and they vanished from sight.

"Stop!" Donald yelled, running to the stairs, only to be stopped by a member forming in front of him. He looked over at the roof to find it empty. "Hey! What's the big idea?!"

"Oopsy-daisy!" The robed figure, another man, said sarcastically with overdramatical movements.

"Move!" Sora growled.

"Now, do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that?" The man asked only to point in their direction. "Haven't you learnt a few manners from that little prince, over there?"

"You… you know about me?" Ash gasped in shock, still confused as to what was going on. The robed man let out a short 'Ha!' sound before speaking up once again.

"The unexpected eighth keeper of light, the only Prince of Heart and… the one with the power to… no, you don't need to know the true power of your own heart yet." He then turned to the Keyblade wielder, leaving Ash behind in confusion.

"I said get outta the way!" Sora snarled, much out of character for his usual bubbly self.

"As if! You can talk all you want but that won't change anything!" The robed man said cockily.

"Then we're gonna MAKE you move!" Donald threatened, waving his staff around angrily.

"See, that would work, if I was any old dude. 'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organisation, nothing anything old about me."

"Ha!" The older teen of the group scoffed. "Tough talk for someone who stood on the side lines whilst his Nobody flunkies did all the fighting!"

"Oh, dear." The robed man groaned. "I think you've got the wrong impression."

"You gonna cry?"

"As if! Why don't I remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?"

"R-remind me?" Sora stuttered with confusion for a second, before pulling a furious look, one of which resembled a lion.

"HA!" The cloaked member of the organisation laughed before pointing to the Keyblade wielder. "That's RIGHT; _he_ used to give me that exact same look."

"I guess you think you can psych me out by saying really random stuff!"

"Gee…" The man pulled a thinking pose before lowering into an attacking bow. "I just don't know…"

The two sides went into a stalemate, neither attacking but at the same time, both waiting for the other to make the slightest move. Nobody moved or even made a sound, not even the world around them cut through the silence that engulfed them like a thick and heavy fog. Suddenly, the cloaked figure straightened up and waved mockingly to Sora.

"Be a good boy now!" As he spoke, he was surrounded by darkness, signifying that he was about to vanish.

"WAIT!" Donald yelled, jumping at the figure, only to end up beak down on the ground. "Nuts, he got away!"

Sora pulled himself out of a defensive stance and stared at the ground. "That was weird. Who gave him the same look?"

"Y'know. I think he was just tryin' to confuse ya." Goofy said, trying to, in a way, comfort the sixteen year old.

"Well, he defiantly confused me," Ash muttered, gaining the looks of the other three. "From what he was saying, the organisation knows about me and, well, that's never a good thing." Donald and Goofy nodded, remembering that event with the giant piranha plant and that awful magician.

"Yeah, you're right Goofy." A small smile appeared on Sora's face. "Only one me, right?"

"If you're talking about this universe, then yes. If you're talking about this universe and parallel ones, then no… there would be an infinite number of you, and Donald and Goofy… and even me!" The thirteen year old prince could help but laugh at the shocked look that the Keyblade wielder had adopted, ignoring Donald's angry glare. Leon walked over at that point, simply shaking his head.

"How can someone like you know something like that?" He asked, tearing his eyes away from Sora's amusing expression.

"Hang around Master Yen Sid for eight years, you'd get how then." Ash replied with a simple shrug, watching as Sora took his membership card out of his pocket and held it up in the air. The card began sparkling, emitting a pure white light, rising straight up into the air out of his hand. The tip of the Keyblade sparkled and shone alongside the card, both looking exactly alike.

"What's this?" Leon inquired, only showing a slight hint of bewilderment in his tone of voice.

"Gawrsh, ya think…?" Goofy spoke towards Sora, who was staring at the tip of his Keyblade before gasping the handle with both hands.

The card continued to rise up into the air, sparkles of light circling around it, a similar occurrence appearing on the Keyblade's tip before making a three pointed crown on the ground, light blues and whites swirling around inside its boundaries. Both light and air rose up as a vortex of blue surrounded Sora, before turning the area around him into a dark clouded scene with streaks of orange and white visible between them. From the card, a beam of pinkish white burst upwards, forming a keyhole with the same swirling pattern as the crown beneath the Keyblade wielder's feet.

After jumping backwards and swinging the Keyblade until it was aimed at the keyhole, a beam of blue light burst from Sora's Keyblade's tip, piercing the middle of the hole's shape, effectively locking it with a large flash of whiteness following. He remained in position for a while afterwards, aware of everyone watching as he made a realisation.

"Oh! Now I get it…" He smiled, looking up at the sky. "That must've been the gate Yen Sid talked about."

"Oh boy!" Donald cheered, jumping up and down happily. Whilst he was slightly confused about what was being talked about, Ash realised it was simply Keyblade stuff, things that shouldn't really concern him but at the same time did. After all, he was on this journey with Sora; stuff like this would be happening all the time.

"Sorry to run, Leon. But other worlds are calling!" The Keyblade wielder turned back to the aforementioned man, who nodded slightly with something that could have been called a smile.

"Organisation XIII, They look tough," Leon folded his arms, one on top of the other, before looking back up at the group of four. "Be careful out there." They nodded back in reply.

"See you soon." Sora responded, Leon actually smiling back before doing a version of a one handed salute wave, as the foursome ran off to find the Gummi Ship.

~0~o~0~

"Organisation XIII? Huh?" Ash leant back in his seat and looked up as Donald steered the ship towards the next world. "A group of powerful Nobodies that retain a human form. I've heard of Nobodies from Master Yen Sid but never believed something like this was happening."

"What, them forming together or that they act as if they have a heart?" Sora asked; only to receive a shrug of the shoulders.

"A bit of both, but there's so much more about them that, to be honest, I don't get," the prince sighed, crossing his legs on his seat whilst he rested his head on his hands, elbows on his short-covered thighs. "You didn't feel the darkness they possess, and a powerful amount of it at that. They aren't like other Nobodies… they are special, in their own way. Plus some of them… no. Never mind."

"Never mind what?" Goofy inquired.

"It's nothing. Just… me overthinking things." Even though Ash sent him a smile, Goofy wasn't reassured, there was something on his mind but, asking further would probably just make matters worse.

"You know you can tell us anything." Sora said, trying to make his new friend feel a little more comfortable.

A knowing look filled the younger teen's face; he had heard that sentence many times before. "Yeah, I know. Friends can tell each other anything. It's just something I imagined, I think."

"Well, if you're sure. Just tell us if it happens again, okay?" At that moment, they decided to drop the conversation as most of them almost lost their stomach contents out of their mouths. Donald had steered the Gummi Ship out of the way of an asteroid, forcing it into a barrel roll/aileron roll mix which made its passengers extremely sick. "What the heck Donald?!"

"Sorry," the duck apologised, well he didn't actually apologise as he actually sounded extremely sarcastic. "Asteroid field. We're almost there though."

"Where are we headin' to next?" Goofy asked his fellow animal friend, looking up ahead through the windscreen of the ship towards the direction which they were heading to.

"The Land of Dragons."

~0~o~0~

In a white circular room, with thirteen seats of individual heights, all of which were extremely high above the ground, a meeting was about to take place. In one vacant seat, darkness formed, spreading until a figure replaced it, dressed in black robes. They looked at the others before speaking.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Does he really have the power to wield the Keyblade?" He spoke, sounding quite unamused about his findings, arms crossed in front of him adding to that fact. "He is nothing but a mere boy!"

Another chuckled before responding. "Give him a chance. It means he's straight as an arrow. He's pure of heart, unlike all of us here."

"He'd better be, or else he's worthless," a different member said, legs crossed, right on top of the left, with both hands placed on the upper knee.

"That and the eighth pure light is with him," a member responded, flicking a hand of cards out. "Maybe a card may decide their fates. Either way, keeping an eye on them is the best option."

"Ah, the eighth light," another member spoke with interest. "Let me guess, he still knows nothing of the power inside of him."

"No." The sixth member to speak replied, remembering encountering the four earlier. "He has no idea. I highly doubt that he will know the true power he has until much later on down the line. Yet I have a sneaking feeling that it's already awakening."

"That means we have to act fast," the first acknowledged, putting a hand to his chin. "That boy can't find out his true power until it is ultimately necessary. For now, we need to keep distant."

"As long as it works in our favour, we can let them do their own thing right now, then jump in when needed." A seventh speaker spoke up, acting slightly shyly in their seat.

"Those are bold words coming from you," the second to speak taunted. "Are you saying you'll volunteer to take care of it when things go wrong, eh?"

"What?! Me?!" The seventh leant backwards, shaking his hands. "No, you have the wrong guy! I'm not comfortable with that."

"You act as though you have a conscience," the third speaker stated sultrily. "When was the last time any one of us felt anything, hmm?"

"Truer words were never spoken," the member with the cards impressively agreed with the other member who had spoken before him. "Well, I suppose the fun will have to wait… for now."

"Gentlemen," a voice boomed out from the highest seat amongst them, all attention resting on him. "The hero of the Keyblade has embarked on a new adventure, with the Prince of Hearts alongside him. Make sure it is one that they both will remember. Now GO!" The last sentence boomed around the room, with all of the other members disappearing with a small vortex of darkness, leaving him alone on his high chair as the plan began to fall into place.

* * *

 **Mulan and Mushu are up next with the Beast afterwards, That's just the order of this series... sorry about that.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. The Land of Dragons

**So... many... reviews! Thank you all!**

 **So, for Red Force; I'm adding worlds to the game but glossing over the 100 Acre wood. Well, we know what happens in it and I wanna focus on what Ash, Donald and Goofy are going to be doing at that time. Something cool, I imagine. Also, Ash won't meet his parents for a while, in fact Sora and one other will meet them before he does in the sequel... but that's spoiler stuff. Plus, no pairings unless they are cannon. There may be implied shipping but none with Ash. He's thirteen and raised by royalty so I don't think he'd find a girl. Plus, Yuffie was being a bit of a teaser like she always is.**

 **To Little White Comet; Glad you like the idea of him being a mage over a Keyblade Wielder. Today, I have taken the magic side to having a Pure Light heart a bit further but you'll see later on. Also, I am so glad you like the character interactions. It'll get better as I go on, trust me.**

 **For Aoi; Not telling, that would spoil plot if I did! But, one hint, Ash's power does have something to do with Kingdom Hearts.**

 **And finally, for Johnathen; In this story, they will be referenced and seen via visions/nightmares. However, they will make their first proper appearance in the sequel along with other Pokemon characters, okay?**

 **Also, hand drew the new cover art. It kind shows the look I was going for with Ash's outfit but I royally messed up Sora. Anyway, if you don't like it I'll change it back to the old cover, easy peasy.**

 **Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.**

* * *

Walking through a forest of bamboo shoots, some over three metres tall, was an extremely relaxing motion. The Land of Dragons was yet again different from Hallow Bastion, calm and tranquil with a sense of traditionalism and eastern culture. Whilst he still made sure the others were in his immediate line of sight, Ash decided to slow down his pace of walking; taking everything in slowly, a part of him was still not able to believe that he was travelling around the worlds. He continued walking slowly until he noticed Goofy had stopped, leaning towards a scene to his left. Quickly, he caught up, just as Sora and Donald had noticed their stilled friend.

An image of what seemed to be a young man, wearing traditional armour that was predominantly coloured black and green, cowering in front of an evil black silhouette was what the group saw. Underneath this armour, he wore a long, grey, martial arts shirt and slightly darker grey pants, with black shoes and knee-high, white socks. His dark hair was tied up into a topknot by a length of green ribbon.

The group huddled together, the older of the two males bending over with his hands on his knees to get into the talk.

"A Heartless?" Donald whispered over, both shocked and excited at the thought of finding one so early and having the chance to take it down.

"I dunno. I don't sense any darkness nearby." Ash muttered, but Sora and Donald were already set on the lines of the fact that the creature was a Heartless and there was nothing anyone could do to pull them out of their beliefs.

"Let's get the jump in on 'im!" Sora replied, before he and Donald rushed towards the fire lit clearing, even though it was the middle of the day, leaving Goofy and Ash behind.

"Gawrsh, maybe we should look before we leap into conclusions…" But, it came too late. Goofy's words flew over the duck and the human's heads as they ran off with battle cries. His worried expression was quite the opposite of Ash's exasperated one.

"We should follow them, and stop them from… you know," the thirteen year old sighed, shaking his head slightly "Making the situation worse than it may already be."

"You're right," Goofy leaned in and placed a hand over one side of his mouth. "You sure you can't feel any darkness?"

"None what so ever," Ash crossed his arms before one hand reached up to clasp itself around his heart chain on the necklace he wore. "It's just those two jumping to conclusions. Haven't they heard of the phrase 'Look before you leap'?"

"Sora, guess not. But Donald…" Goofy chuckled as the two began moving after their friends. "Defiantly not!"

"That's what's making me worry the most!" Fortunately, it didn't take long to catch up, Sora and Donald having scared the man and whatever was making the shadow, the two yelling as they clutched each other in fear. Out of the two yells, the young prince was sure he heard a feminine one, and it didn't come from the dragon that had jumped out of nowhere.

He, by the sounds of its very manly scream, was a small, red, serpentine Chinese dragon, owning spindly limbs, two-toed feet, and four-fingered hands. His claws were dark red, as was a small tuft on the tip of his tail; his belly and two whiskers were yellow-orange. Those large eyes of his appeared to be closely set, and were very dark shade of brown or red. His teeth were sharp and white, and his floppy ears hag dark red tips whilst the bottoms of his feet and the insides of his ears were pink. The dragon's nose was dark red-violet, and he sported two small, sky blue horns with a dark blue tip on the top of his head. And that's what the raven haired boy got from a brief glance.

However, if the dragon made the manly noise, and the armoured man made a feminine one, then maybe, could it be? The human was actually a girl pretending to be a male? Maybe not but the instant cowering and multiple feminine features told Ash, and by the looks of it, Goofy too, otherwise. Sora and Donald stopped running, whilst Goofy brought up a relevant question.

"Is that Mushu?" He asked, leaning forwards a bit with a slight tilt of the head in wonderment. Suddenly, the dragon, now named Mushu, popped out from the other person's arms, using his arms to push himself up on their shoulders.

"That's right! I know you heard of me!" He was extremely dramatic, but sounded like a proud and confident being, even to the point of sounding cocky. "I'm little, lethal and legendary!" Yep, defiantly cocky. "Now y'all scram before I get my dragon dander up!"

"Hey Mushu! We missed you!" Sora grinned happily, causing him to receive a nudge in the ribs for not explaining things.

"Umm… Sora, would you politely explain to me who this little dragon is and why is he trying to sound gangster?" Ash inquired with a raised eyebrow, which made the Keyblade wielder to chuckle in response before he began to explain, or at least tried to when Mushu spoke up beforehand.

"Yeah, well you better HOPE I miss YOU, or else you're…" The red dragon finally laid eyes on the group. "You're…" His expression changed to an ecstatic one. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!" However, his eyes narrowed when he laid eyes on the fourth member, who simply smiled and and waved.

"Do you know them?" The armoured person, most likely a female due to their voice, had uncurled as Mushu crawled down her back and towards the new arrivals.

"KNOW them?!" Mushu began mock fighting his way over before resting with one arm on Sora's leg, the other on his… umm… hip, for a lack of a better word. "Man, we used to kick all sorts of bad guy butt together. Yeah, you know, I helped these guys out of a lot of tight spots! Cause I'm a mighty dragon, right?" He looked up at Sora before turning to Ash. "This one however, ain't got no clue. Never seen him before in my life." Mushu jumped up onto the younger teen's shoulders before judging him slightly. "Hmm… if he's with these guys, he's gotta be okay but, I'd be wary about him for a bit."

"Nice to meet you too, Mushu." Ash replied sarcastically, crossing his arms one on top of the other.

"It's a pleasure… umm…" Immediately, Donald opened up his beak to reply.

"He's…umph!" The younger male had closed the white feathered magician's beak with both of his hands, anger clearly visible on his features.

"If you tell one more person anything about my position I will tape your beak shut or do it with magic!" Donald huffed sulkily but agreed to shut up. Noticing everyone else's expressions, he straightened up and chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that… my name's Ash, it's an honour." Mushu raised an eyebrow but shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Well, whatever, but I defiantly kicked butt with these guys." Sora's leg moved backwards at that very moment causing the red mini dragon to lose his balance and almost fall over.

"Something like that may have happened," the older teen admitted with a chuckle, he turned to the armoured person. "And… you are?"

"I am Mulan… err, no umm I am… Ping!"

"Mulan Ping?" Donald folded his arms sceptically, staring the poor woman in disguise down.

"No! Just Ping. I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou!" Ping began using over exaggerated movements to try and prove 'his' manliness, but it just wasn't cutting it for two of the quartet.

"You know Mushu?" Sora asked.

"Mushu's one of my family's guardians." Ping explained in return whilst Mushu posed proudly on the floor. Goofy stepped forwards with an apologetic grin on his face.

"We didn't know we were borrowin' someone as important as a family guardian…" The group jumped as Mushu popped up in front of them.

"That's right!" The red dragon returned to his perch on Ping's shoulder. "And that puts you three up to ya eyeballs in debt to Ping here! Well guess what kiddies? It's payback time!"

"Hello, am I invisible or something?" Ash stared at Mushu, arms crossed with a slight sassiness behind his expression. "Whilst those three own your Ping debt, I don't." The dragon chose to ignore him, not a smart move as even Ping tried to quieten him down.

"Mushu…"

"Ah, they don't mind. Ain't that right?" Mushu turned towards the group. Sora was heavily in thought, Donald wasn't doing anything, and Goofy was nodding whilst Ash was muttering all available magic hexes he knew, just in case that loudmouth of a dragon said too much.

"That sound's fair to me." Sora answered on the behalf of three quarters of their total alliance of Keyblade wielder, magicians and captain.

"Great, well Ping here was on his way to join the Imperial army," Mushu decided to switch shoulders for no apparent reason. "We gotta go find the other recruits over at the training camp!"

"Would you join us?" Ping asked, not demanding the fact that they had to come along if they didn't want to. "It'll be easier to fit in if I'm with guys, like you." Ash and Goofy shared a knowledgeable look whilst the other two were confounded by his words.

"What do you mean, 'fit in'?" Sora questioned, placing his hands on his hips expectantly.

"Well, uh… umm…" Mushu tried to find an answer before settling for something simple. "Don't worry about that."

"You're pretendin' to be a boy, aren't ya?" Goofy had answered Sora's question for him. The aforementioned Keyblade wielder and King Mickey's Royal Magician took a second for that to sink in before their bodies finally reacted to the announcement with exaggerated movements of shock.

"You're a… girl?!" Sora gasped, not hearing Ash's loud laughs out of the pure expense of their density. The name Mulan should have given it away to them; it was a girl's name after all.

Mulan began grinning, acting shyly again whilst revealing her true nature. "You didn't notice?"

"Not me!" Donald and Sora shook their heads with full honesty.

"I think it's working." She stated to Mushu, who sighed agitatedly and then groaned.

"I dunno, the dumb one noticed, as did the baby…"

"HEY! I WILL FREEZE YOU IN A BLOCK OF ICE!"

"And those two would fall for anything." Mulan, back in her Ping persona, set off; ignoring the fact Ash had already drawn out his staff out of the anger of being called a baby, seriously he was only three years younger than Sora was.

"I'm right here!" Sora yelled, representing both himself and Donald in their annoyance towards the honest words of the 'Mighty dragon Mushu'. Only after the group had coaxed Ash into returning his staff into the necklace form did they follow after towards the training camp for the Imperial army.

~0~o~0~

The camp was quite bland, made of white sheets for walls and white tents, with red outlines, dotted the area. Up ahead, a bunch of uniformly dressed soldiers were waiting in line for something that smelt delicious. With a word of warning from Mushu to 'Ping', the group made their way over, Sora choosing to stand first in line for a few seconds before a short, stoutly man pushed his way in.

"'Bout time we got some grub." He growled, his gravelly voice seemed right at home here with the fellow officers. Of course, getting in between Sora and food, or Donald and food, caused the two hotheads to react like active volcanoes on the verge of eruption.

"Hey no cutting!"

"Yeah, get out!"

The man turned around, revealing his swollen shut left eye before he sucker punched Sora in the face, sending the sixteen year old sprawling on the ground. Ash picked up his pace and knelt beside the Keyblade wielder, checking his face for any signs of bruising or swelling, reaching into his brown hip bag to see what he had on him to help out the healing process. Donald, however, muttered something unintelligible before rolling up his sleeves and full on pouncing on the solider.

The two got into an all-out brawl as Goofy and Ping had no idea how to stop them from hitting each other whilst rolling around on the ground. Of course, two more soldiers saw this as a chance to butt in.

"Hey, a space in line!" A lanky, snivelly man chuckled, pushing the two fighting parties out of the way until he too was butted out by a large, bald guy.

"I wonder what they're serving for lunch today." He smiled sweetly at the thought of food, the original man with red, the other two having orange and blue respectively, elements to his uniform got up and growled once more.

"Knuckle sandwiches!" Yao, the red one, jumped at Ling, the orange one whilst Chien Po, the blue one, stood watching as Donald joined in. Sora, after having had his cheek looked at, pushed his way into it and soon, four men were fighting like cats in front of the queue for food.

"Why did I even bother?" Ash put his hands behind his head, copying Sora's well known action with an annoyed look on his face. "Guy gets hit on the cheek and is stupid enough to get back in to obtain a broken bone." Goofy rushed in to pull Donald off of Ling whilst Ash realised the only thing that would stop them with a slight shock and as such, readied a Thunder spell until Ping, at a total loss at what to do yelled out.

"Please!" It worked, surprisingly, but for all the wrong reasons.

"Please?"

"What a girl." Yao grumbled.

"Uh… Knock it off!"

"Knock what off?" Yao once again inquired harshly, not really caring all that much about what he had actually started.

"You punched me!" Sora said with gritted teeth.

"And you cut the line!" Donald added angrily, huffing and puffing from the pent up anger still resting inside the duck.

"What a shrimp!" Ling squeaked, hurting the ears of everyone around. Luckily, Mushu was pushed back into Ping's armour before anyone noticed his little rant.

"Look… let's just get back in line…" Ping sweated from the tension that was still building between the male's fighting over a queue cut. So far, Ash and Goofy were the only two who hadn't tried to get openly involved. Goofy was a bit slower than most, but he was still sensible at times and knew when to act. Ash had been raised in a castle by a king and queen, and as such, could refrain from throwing fisticuffs over something trivial.

"Who's side are you on?" Sora asked in disbelief. "I just got slugged."

"And you were about to gain a broken bone!" Ash growled in a dangerously furious tone, everyone began quivering as a wind from nowhere swept around him, a sign he was mentally chanting an advanced magic spell. "Now all of you shut up, listen to Ping or else I…"

"Soldiers, get back in line!" A voice commanded as a man sternly walked towards them. Immediately, everyone followed his orders as someone called him the Captain. The man walked up and down the line, staring at everyone in turn before returning to the front with Sora silently fist bumping in their success. That was, until the heartless showed up.

Of course the soldiers loved the idea of fighting it out with the intruders as Ping questioned what the Shadows even were.

"They're Heartless," Sora explained quickly forming his Keyblade and tensed into his default battle stance. "Ping, I hope you're ready!"

A bunch of Shadows and Nightwalkers lunged towards the five, only to be swiped down by an entourage of magic staffs, a shield, a Keyblade and a sharp sword. Wave after wave attacked the group and they easily managed to sweep through them without breaking a sweat. That is how they became soldiers for the Imperial army, Ping included after a lot of persuasion on Sora's part to Captain Li Shang, oh and some missions which involved taking out some Heartless which was no big deal, really.

~0~o~0~

A few missions later and after a battle filled climb to the summit of the mountain, the troops had reached a village and set up base there. At first, it seemed like they could rest for a bit until Mushu dropped a bomb in the form of the appearance of Shan-Yu heading towards a cave on the village outskirts. That same Shan-Yu was the leader of the Hun army and the sole figure who caused the Fa family honour to be lost, the one reason as to why Mulan had joined the army.

Of course that meant they had to inspect it. Sora led the way through the winding path; abandoned, broken down stands littering the ground as they walked.

"Why on earth would someone just enter here to dump a cart of stuff?" Ash shivered, rubbing his exposed arms from the cold temperatures from the mountains whilst wondering how on earth the older teen wasn't in the same cold feeling bracket as he was since they both had short sleeved shirts and jackets on. "Haven't they heard of the term 'recycle'?"

"I don't think so," Goofy answered before noting the area up ahead that ended the cave. "Do you think Shan-Yu is in there?"

"Only one way to find out!" Ping growled expectantly, running head first into the circular room like space with Sora right behind him.

"Dead end…" Sora sighed, placing his hands behind his head. "And nobody's here too."

"Well look harder!" Mushu, who was highly passionate about what he knew he had seen, snapped at them.

"I don't think anyone can hide themselves in here." Ash noticed Donald and Goofy were leaving and decided to follow them back to the village, only stopping to turn around and call to the other two. "Hey! Are you two coming?" Before they could answer, the cave began trembling as a pink barrier trapped Sora and Ping in the area.

"Sora!"

"Ping!" Donald and Goofy cried out in worry as a horde of Heartless appeared behind the two. A magical barrier like that could be teared down in a minute, that was if that lingering sense of darkness would go away soon. Turning his head towards the entrance, the thirteen year old could tell someone was there, having caused the trap and was probably laughing manically to themselves. Without thinking, he ran after them, ignoring the shouts from the others behind him. Ash skidded himself to a halt outside of the cave, drawing his staff whilst on constant alert for someone in the nearby vicinity.

He could still feel the strong lingering power of darkness, they were still close. For a moment, it became so strong, his head began to pound inside his skull before whoever it was fled. But the rising smoke from the village immediately grabbed his attention, eyes widening as everyone else finally caught up to him.

"There you are! We were wonderin' where you ran off to." Goofy said in relief, glad that they hadn't lost him already on the adventure.

"Hey! Goofy was speaking to you!" Donald squawked angrily when Ash didn't reply. All the young prince did was point in the village's direction where they all saw what he did. They all paled, realising that the sighting was bait to get them out of the way as Shun-Yu managed to attack the place. The buildings were struck down, caved in with brute force. Ping's eyes widened as he took a few extra steps, before a groan caught his attention. The Captain was clutching his side painfully, trying to stand up.

"Captain!" He cried out, alerting everyone else to the injured man which in turn brought them all over to him.

"Don't overdo it, Captain!" Sora added, glancing over to Ash. Out of the two magicians they had, Donald was useless when it came to curing which is why no one dared to rely on him in case things got a bit deadly.

"It's just a scratch." Li Shang tried to argue when the youngest member walked over to him.

"Would a scratch make you this weak?" Ash asked, managing to catch the man before he fell back to the ground. "Curaga!" The wound began to shrink in size, disappearing within seconds leaving the blood stained armour and cloth behind. "You have to rest up a bit and I'm not taking no as an answer."

"Captain, the enemy…" Ping cut in with anger over his features. "Where did they go?"

"They… they went towards the summit…" the captain managed to say through gritted teeth as the pain slowly ebbed away thanks to the powerful magic spell.

"We'll stop them!"

Goofy scratched his head in guilt. "It kinda is our fault, ya know."

"Right." Ping nodded with sadness covering his eyes.

"You mean MY fault." Mushu muttered in self-pity, looking up after Donald shook his head in disagreement.

"Donald's right, it's not your fault." Ash knelt beside the dragon, giving him a warm smile that seemed to lift Mushu's heart and raised his positivity. "Shan-Yu and the Heartless did this, not you. Did you suddenly grow in size and set the village on fire for no apparent reason? No? Then stop it with the woe-is-me act and pick yourself up off the ground! You're a mighty dragon, remember!"

"Mighty dragon, yeah!" Mushu was back to normal, grinning proudly. "Thanks kid."

"Don't mention it. We can deal with the Heartless issue!" The prince turned to Sora who nodded back at him.

"Captain, if you could track down the villagers when you feel better then we can defeat the enemy!" Obtaining no response, Sora led the group towards the summit with anger powering their movements whilst below them, the city stood without any knowledge as to what was going on up in the mountains.

~0~o~0~

Reaching the summit wasn't that hard, just a few Heartless here and there to interrupt their relatively easy path. As they looked up, a figure towered ahead of them. He was a large, muscular Hun with greyish skin, thick, black eyebrows and a black Fu Manchu moustache. His eyes were peculiar colours; the irises are an eerie orange whilst his sclera was totally black. The top of his head couldn't be seen but the hair on the back of his head is quite long and black. He wore a black hood with grey fur lining and what seemed to be two raccoon tails dangling down at the front. His grey pants went with black, knee-high boots with grey soles and a vertical grey stripe up the front. His coat was pale yellow on the left side and the front but black on the right side. It had a tattered, brown lining and was kept closed by a brown belt. There was also a single black glove on his left hand, presumably for the falcon that had flown over their heads towards him.

He grinned as an army of Rapid Thrusters followed in his wake, lining the top of the hill looking down on them as if he and his Heartless army had the tactical advantage. Everyone drew their weapons whilst Shan-Yu pointed his own at them. "Attack!"

"CHARGE!" Immediately every split into groups to take on the threat, rushing in different directions to take out the millions of Heartless that were raining down on them. Ping swung his sword around, slicing through the flying beings of darkness. Sora mixed between his two magic spells and the usual beat up technique that worked amazingly in the past. Donald and Goofy were off doing who knows what whilst Ash was using his magic to take on multiple opponents at a time.

The minutes wore on as they began to get tired and overcrowded by the Heartless that swooped down at them. By now, they had all had enough but needed to keep on fighting not just for their survival but for the army and China itself. Deep down, a certain magic wielding prince felt something bubble up inside him as more Heartless attacked him over the others, presumably because they were afraid of his light. "That's it!" A white light began emanating off of him, gaining attention from most of the opposition who flew over to the light to destroy it.

"Ash!" Sora yelled worriedly as his friend disappeared under the Heartless flock but, a few seconds later, his eyes were blinded by a light explosion. All Heartless in a mile radius were disintegrated, leaving a heavily tired Ash swaying on the spot before he collapsed in the snow. Sora was the first to make it over, pulling the prince's head into his lap to make him more comfortable.

"Are you okay?" Ping asked, noting the fluttering eyelids and the slight groans escaping his lips.

"Mummy… don't hit me with your key… I'm getting up…" Everyone sweat dropped at that seemingly random remark from a semi-conscious teen.

"Give him a few seconds," Sora chuckled. "He'll be okay. But what was that?" No one answered him as more Heartless appeared behind Shan-Yu before he cried for a full on charge. The three officers from the earlier brawl showed up with a firework in their hands, setting it down whilst aiming it for the invading forces. Ping immediately saw another way to end the onslaught and grabbed the firework whilst pushing the men out the way, setting it down so it was aimed at the mountain. He searched for flint until he realised that Mushu would be a better lighter and used him to set the firework off.

"You're going the wrong way!" Mushu cried as he flew towards the snow stuck to one of the peaks. The impact caused an avalanche which resulted in Shan-Yu and his forces getting covered by rushing snow. Sora picked up Ash and ran to safety, Donald and Goofy following behind. Ping noticed the Captain coming their way and managed to grab his hand in time to get them away from the avalanche. They fell to the ground but not before they had avoided eminent death.

"Thanks Ping." Li Shang smiled as they got back up onto their feet.

"It… was nothing…" Ping replied nervously, scratching his cheek slightly.

"I never should have doubted you," the Captain announced with slight guilt towards his earlier actions. "From now on, you have my trust."

"Thank you, Captain." Mushu burst from out of the ground then, choosing that moment to give the game away, mentioning both Ping's real gender and name. Everyone watched on in horror as what they had been working for fell like the snow over the edge of the mountain edge.

"Mulan? A woman?" Li Shang began growling in fury, glaring at the group. "It can't be!" Ping said nothing as Sora, Donald and Goofy came closer, with Ash still in a land of his own at the moment.

"Captain! Ping! You're okay!" They noted the expression on the man's face and realised that they were doomed.

"You all knew, didn't you?" He asked dangerously, voice teetering on the edge of rising to a yell. "You knew Ping was a woman in disguise." When they didn't answer, he turned around and walked, anger directed solely at Ping. "I can't believe you lied to me. The punishment for high treason and dishonouring the army… is death…" Paled faces stared at the ground as they awaited their fate, only for the Captain not to order it. "Get out of my sight… now! You're all dismissed."

"But Captain…"

"My debt is repaid." With that, he left them alone on the summit. Ping, no, Mulan stared at the ground some more as she took her armour off ignoring the shout for the troops to head to the Emperor. She turned back to her friends, eyes landing on Ash in worry.

"Are you sure he'll be okay?"

"Yeah, Donald do you have a Hi Potion?" Sora took the medicine from the duck and used it on his younger friend. Slowly but surely, Ash came around. He groaned slightly, as he was placed on his own two feet with the Keyblade wielder using himself as a rest.

"What happened? My head…"

"You caused an explosion," Goofy answered honestly. "It seems that your light burst forth from you to protect yourself."

"Light?" Donald and Sora looked at the prince with shock and awe.

"I guess so, that explains the light headedness…" Ash looked at Mulan and blinked. "Okay, where is Ping's armour?"

"We got kicked out thanks to Mushu," Sora explained, glaring slightly at the flushing dragon. "He let split about everything. So, Mulan, what are you gonna do now?"

"Go home." She answered certainly, turning to leave with Mushu following her.

"Your daddy's gonna be steamed like a chicken dumpling." He sighed and folded his arms. Sora grabbed everyone into a hug, squishing them together.

"We'll take our share of the blame, right guys?" Donald and Goofy nodded whilst Ash wheezed, trying to gain some oxygen.

"Thank you," Mulan was touched by their words and actions. "You all are such wonderful friends." The sixteen year old let go of his friends and they all followed afterwards, that was until a falcon flying towards the city caught their attention as the group were sure that was Shan-Yu's, looking over the edge confirmed it as the man in question and his Heartless squad moved towards Imperial City.

"He's alive, but how?" Donald yelled.

"He's heading towards Imperial City!" Mulan scowled, turning to the others who nodded at her with their next course of action. "We need to warn Shang!" They rushed back down the mountain towards the city in hopes that they could reach there in time.

~0~o~0~

Luckily they had, and entered the main palace along with the rest of Li Shang's army. Calling out for him only made the Captain even more angrier than before.

"Shan-Yu is alive and headed this way!" Mulan cried out with worry and stress.

"And why should I believe you this time?" He leered in fury at being lied to by a woman no less.

"But… she's telling you the truth!" Sora tried to argue for Mulan however, both were proven right by the falcon circling overhead, as pointed out by Donald. The Captain's eyes widened in realisation over the truth. He scoured the surrounding towers for any sign of Shan-Yu, only to spot him leap down from one after sending a glowering cackle. More Heartless formed and, almost immediately, Sora and Mulan jumped in front of him, their weapons brandished. "Captain! We'll secure the courtyard and you can save the Emperor!" When the man didn't move, Donald cockily yelled at him.

"And that's an order!" Li Shang nodded and left, the rest of the Imperial army following him to protect their beloved leader. After defeating the Heartless in the courtyard, they rushed after the army, only to find Shan-Yu holding his sword towards the Emperor's throat. The Captain dropped down out of nowhere and punched the Hun leader in the face, making him stagger backwards as the army took the Emperor quickly into the palace.

As Shan-Yu got up, a force of five blocked his way to the Emperor and he growled angrily at them, picking up his sword and rushing towards them. Sora surrounded himself with energy as he changed forms, Goofy disappearing into thin air as the Keyblade wielder went into Valour Form, Oathkeeper and Oblivion held to the front and back.

"Alright, bring it on!" Sora rushed forwards, slamming his Keyblades into Shan-Yu's face, stomach and legs, sending the man flying. Mulan cried out as she ran into the fight too, slashing her blade at his arms, getting his sword locked in combat with hers. With his front busy, it allowed for a nice Firaga from Ash to hit his back. However, that just angered the man more than normal. He thrust his sword out wildly, grinning as a pained cry answered to it and a body hit the floor, leaving only Sora and Mulan… plus Donald, in the fight.

Furious that his best friend's adopted son had just been hurt by that dirt bag, Donald screamed as he latched himself onto Shan-Yu's face, punching him like he had Yao back at the training camp not so long ago. Shan-Yu was so surprised, he had no idea the attack was coming, allowing a few magic spells to hit the man surrounded by darkness. In the end, Donald was thrown off the Hun army leader, in the same direction Ash flew in after he was hit.

Whilst Donald used Cure, Mulan took on Shan-Yu herself with Sora taking out any additional Heartless that decided to pop out and ruin the woman's chances of taking the man out. She scowled as her sword struggled to get through, all she needed to do was disarm him and then he was hers to take out. Luckily the help came in the form of Goofy, who had just reappeared from the Drive Form, as he flung his shield like a boomerang and hit the man on the head. Made disoriented from the blow, Shan-Yu was open to Mulan's disbarment and then, a joint attack from her and Sora, using Mushu's fire to take him out. One last sword strike and Shan-Yu howled as he disappeared in a cloud of darkness.

Once it was made sure that everyone was alright, they all began celebrating.

"Now that's what I call burning some hunny-bun!" Mushu grinned whilst prancing around. "Aw, yeah! Mulan's the best! Mulan's the best!" He suddenly came to an unsurprising conclusion. "No, wait a minute – I'm the best! Mushu's the best! Mushu's the best!"

"After collapsing and being speared with a sword, I am in the right frame of mind to freeze you in a block of ice," Ash groaned dangerously at the dragon, who began shivering with sweat rolling down his face. "Don't give me a reason to do it." The Emperor and Li Shang walked towards them, the soldiers forming a crowd on the lower levels of the courtyard. All five immediately stood to attention, Mushu just leant against Mulan's legs.

"I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan," the Emperor began mysteriously, neither sending out good or bad vibes. Mulan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bowed respectfully. "You stole your father's armour, ran away from home, impersonated an Imperial officer…" Mulan sighed internally, light fluttering from her eyes as her list of 'crimes' were recited in front of her by the Leader of China. "You deceived your commanding officer, shamed the entire Chinese army and dishonoured your family name."

Sora groaned, shook his head and placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah… yeah, we get the picture." A well timed slap from Ash silenced him up.

"You're a young woman. And in the end…" Some time passed before he spoke again, shocking everything there. "You saved us all." He bowed to her, and so did the Chinese army, all bowing for her.

"You Excellency!" She grinned, celebrating happily with her friends who were smiling back at her.

"Captain Li?" The Emperor turned to his subordinate who handed over Shan-Yu's sword to Mulan. "Take this, so the world will know what you have done for China."

"Thank you." Mulan bowed once more with gratitude.

"Mulan," she turned towards Li Shang, who was fighting an inner conflict with his own emotions. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, Ash… thank you." He too bowed, before the old Emperor butted in slyly.

"'Thank you.' It that all there is to say, Captain?" The sly old coot smirked. "If you want to win the heart of Fa Mulan, China's bravest woman, you'll have to be more eloquent than that."

Mulan chuckled as the Emperor laughed at the Captain's expression. Sora placed a hand on her shoulder and asked for an autograph, making her chuckle even harder as she expressed her gratitude again.

"Now they GOTTA let me go back to being a guardian!" Mushu said a little bit too loudly. "They GOTTA!"

"But Mushu, I thought you already WERE a family guardian." Goofy butted in, not noticing the rage building up in Donald and Sora.

"I mean, that's what you told us when we first met, remember?" Ash added slyly, smirking as he took note of how angry his two hot-headed friends were getting. Mushu tried to pull himself out of trouble but Sora was having none of it.

"You tricked us!"

"I…well… AHHH! MULAN SAVE ME!" Sora began chasing Mushu around the courtyard, making everyone else laugh. It was hilarious, to be honest. At that moment, the blade of Mulan's new sword began glowing, just like the card from Hollow Bastion. Sora stopped trying to catch himself a gangster dragon and formed his Keyblade, repeating the actions he did back in the last world, sealing the Keyhole with a beam of light.

"Guess it's about time to be movin' on." Goofy noted, as they turned around to say goodbye.

"You shall be missed." The Emperor answered first with deep respect for the quartet.

"Is it okay if we came back to visit?" Sora asked with a sniffle.

"Of course!" Mulan's answer was unhesitant and honest, with the Captain taking his place beside her.

"We will look forward to your return."

"You two play nice." Ash burst out laughing at Sora's comment as Mulan began to blush and Li Shang gasped.

"Whoa… watch it soldier!"

"Goodbye!" The four waved as they made their way out of the city and back to the Gummi ship, ready to leave for the next land.

~0~o~0~

"That was something." Sora grinned as he reclined out in his seat on the Gummi ship, getting an equally happy grin from the boy next to him.

"There's something you don't see every day." The two chuckled as Goofy decided to join in.

"Speakin' of things you don't see every day, what happened at the mountain?" The dog titled his head in worry and confusion, something Donald picked up on and joined in with.

"I dunno… guess I invented a new type of attack or something…" Names flicked through his mind before Ash settled for the perfect one. "A Light Bomb, it fits."

"Well, you did collapse after using one," Donald stated the facts, showing his own worry through his eyes. "Warn us if you ever try to use it again!"

"Don't worry I will," a burning question popped up on the prince's lips. "Oh, and Sora, what was that you did with Goofy during the battle?"

"You're talking about Valour form, right?" Sora placed his hands behind his head and grinned. "It's a Drive form and it boosts my power. So far, I can only use it if Donald or Goofy are around me. Who knows, maybe we might have a Drive form together."

"That would be awesome!" The Gummi ship was filled with talks of Drive forms as the group made their way slowly towards the world known as Beast's Castle.

* * *

 **The Next world fits with the new movie, doesn't it? I haven't seen it but... I guess I could add some references in, especially with Belle's gown.**

 **Until next time, see ya!**


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